Tuesday, January 18, 2011

t’s really difficult to pin down whether the Nissan Juke will sell well when it arrives here in the States this fall. The micro-crossover doesn’t have a lot of competition and its affordable anticipated starting price of well under $20,000; both good signs. The big unknown is whether Americans will embrace the Juke’s cartoonish looks, which could turn away potential suitors.

Unique looks and diminutive stature doesn’t appear to be affecting the little Juke in Japan, though, as Nissan says it already has orders for 10,943 little utes. We already knew Nissan was on track to best its estimate of 1,300 orders in the first month due to the fact that the Japanese automaker had already rung up 5,296 ordersin the first week the Juke went on sale.

Among the nearly 11,000 orders cataloged so far, the top color is Radiant Red, with 29 percent of all orders to date. The red interior is a big hit as well, with 59 percent of total orders. And if you’re thinking that a bunch of young kids are picking up these affordable little mini-crossovers, think again. So far, the largest demographic for the Juke is the 50 and older club, with 44 percent of all sales. The 20- to 29-year-old club accounts for 15 percent, and the vast majority of orders come from men. Hit the jump to read Nissan’s brag-tastic press release.